Graham Ashley was born on April 26, 1927, in Northampton, England. He would became a movie and television actor in the mid-1950s. Ashley was selected to act as one of the Rebel pilots in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, originally titled Star Wars. Ashley's portrayed Gold Five, who was called "Pops." His character got the attention of fans. The Expanded Universe provided a more detailed background for Pops, giving him a full name, Davish Krail.
After his work on Star Wars, Ashley continued his career with small roles in movies and one of the main roles, school caretaker "Grumpy" Garfield, in the then-beginning TV series Grange Hill. However, Ashley died in his native England on October 30, 1979, before the third season of the show aired.